| Have you ever sat on an airplane and wondered if | | | | necessary the aircraft needs to have an enough fuel |
| the aircraft has enough fuel to get where you are | | | | to fly for an additional forty five minutes. |
| going? The answer is yes or the flight is not allowed | | | | For an international flight the FAR regulations require |
| to takeoff. | | | | each of the following criteria: |
| First of all, who determines how much fuel is needed | | | | 1. Fuel to fly to destination. In other words a |
| for the flight? For most airlines, who have airplanes | | | | Dispatcher will either use manual charts or computer |
| with more than nineteen seats, the answer is an | | | | software to determine how much fuel a flight will |
| Aircraft Dispatcher. This seldom known individual is | | | | need to takeoff or land at the prescribed airports. |
| responsible to create a flight plan for the pilots that | | | | These fuel figures known as fuel burns take into |
| prove a flight has enough fuel to continue based on | | | | effect the aircraft weight, type of engine, and |
| the legal requirements of the Federal Aviation | | | | weather which my effect the flight segment. |
| Regulations (FAR) which is a subsection of the Code | | | | 2. Fuel to fly to the most distant alternate. The FAR |
| of federal regulations (CFR). The Dispatcher himself | | | | regulations require that each flight have an assigned |
| must have an airmen certificate (license) to complete | | | | alternate airport if the weather cannot be forecasted |
| this flight plan. He has to receive a certain amount of | | | | within a three hour period of the flights arrival if the |
| Initial Schooling as well as take a Federal Aviation | | | | weather is not good enough so that the pilot can see |
| Administration(FAA) written and verbal test to qualify | | | | the field over three miles away and the clouds are |
| to be a dispatcher. | | | | not lower than two thousand feet. If multiply |
| Along with all this the dispatcher must receive annual | | | | alternates are listed the Aircraft dispatcher than fuel |
| schooling from his or her airline to continue to | | | | to fly to the most distant of the airports must be |
| practice. The dispatcher can either use an approved | | | | accounted for in the required fuel. On flights that are |
| manual charts to confirm fuel requirements or more | | | | over six hours long an airline must assign an alternate |
| likely the airline has purchase a computer to compute | | | | airport and account for the fuel required. |
| the fuel required. Either way every flight which | | | | 3. Fuel to fly for an additional ten percent of the total |
| departs with passengers must first receive approval | | | | time Enroute. In other words, however much fuel is |
| from an Aircraft Dispatcher that the flight has | | | | required to get from takeoff to destination an |
| sufficient fuel to legally takeoff. | | | | additional ten percent of this figure is added to the |
| First, the FAR regulations place flights into three | | | | required fuel. |
| categories. A scheduled flight that departs from an | | | | 4. Fuel to fly for an additional thirty minutes at normal |
| airport inside the United States or its territories and | | | | cruise speed. The FAR requires that after a flight flies |
| lands in an airport inside the United States or its | | | | to its destination and to the alternate if necessary |
| territories is called a Domestic Flight. Any scheduled | | | | the aircraft needs to have an enough fuel to fly for |
| flight that departs from an airport inside the United | | | | an additional thirty minutes. |
| States or its territories and lands in an airport outside | | | | For supplemental flights you must apply the same |
| the United States or its territories or vice versa is | | | | fuel requirements as domestic and international but |
| called an International Flight. Any non-scheduled flight | | | | the alternate airport is always required. |
| both international and domestic is called a | | | | What happens if my flights pushes away from the |
| supplemental flight. Each type of flight has its own | | | | gate and sits on the taxiway for several hours? How |
| regulatory requirements. | | | | do I know if the plane still has enough fuel to |
| For a domestic flight the FAR regulations require each | | | | takeoff? The aforementioned fuel requirements are |
| of the following criteria: | | | | for takeoff. Any fuel needed for taxi must be added |
| 1. Fuel to fly to destination. In other words a | | | | on top of the required fuel. If the flight does not |
| Dispatcher will either use manual charts or computer | | | | have sufficient fuel to meet the regulation shortly |
| software to determine how much fuel a flight will | | | | before he takes the runway to depart the flight |
| need to takeoff or land at the prescribed airports. | | | | must return to the gate for additional uplift of fuel. |
| These fuel figures known as fuel burns take into | | | | Most airlines will add additional fuel to the flight plan to |
| effect the aircraft weight, type of engine, and | | | | accommodate for a long taxi especially at busier |
| weather which my effect the flight segment. | | | | airports. |
| 2. Fuel to fly to the most distant alternate. The FAR | | | | What happens if some part of the aircraft breaks |
| regulations require that each flight have an assigned | | | | after we take off will the flight have enough fuel to |
| alternate airport if the weather cannot be forecasted | | | | land. Pilots and aircraft dispatcher have contingency |
| within a three hour period of the flights arrival if the | | | | procedures for inoperative equipment Enroute that |
| weather is not good enough so that the pilot can see | | | | will prove whether or not the flight can continue with |
| the field over three miles away and the clouds are | | | | enough fuel despite the mechanical failure. If the Pilot |
| not lower than two thousand feet. If multiply | | | | and Dispatcher cannot prove the flight will have |
| alternates are listed the Aircraft dispatcher than fuel | | | | enough fuel the regulation requires that the flight |
| to fly to the most distant of the airports must be | | | | return to school. |
| accounted for in the required fuel. | | | | As you can see airlines are held to a high standard to |
| 3. Fuel to fly for an additional forty five minutes at | | | | ensure that they not only have enough fuel to get |
| normal cruise speed. The FAR requires that after a | | | | you there but have enough fuel for most of the |
| flight flies to its destination and to the alternate if | | | | more likely contingencies. |